Chin Eei Hui to lead Malaysian squad at Uber Cup Qualifying Round – Badminton news
Malaysia’s experienced female shuttler, Chin Eei Hui, is set to lead the Malaysian squad for the first time at the upcoming Uber Cup Qualifying Round which will kick off on Tuesday, February 14, in Macau.
Eei Hui has been participating in Uber Cup, the biggest team event championship for women as a team member but for the first time she will participate in the qualifying round of this prestigious tournament as a captain.
Wong Pei Tty, the partner of Eei Hui in Women’s Doubles category, has been leading the national team from 2006 to 2010.
However, this time the later will lead the squad in the qualifying round and will try to qualify for the Uber Cup Finals, which will take place in China, in May.
Eei Hui said, "This is the first time I will captain the squad and this is also the last as I won't be playing until 2014. So, I want my role as captain to be a memorable one by winning a point with Pei Tty and help the team qualify."
Malaysia will compete in the same group in which India and China have also been placed. Chinese shuttlers have a safe passage as they do not need to worry against both nations because they have the best shuttlers in the world.
However, the match between Malaysia and India will determine the fate of one team and it is crucial for Malaysian shuttlers to beat Indian team if they want to qualify for the Finals.
In their match against India, the World Number 14 Pei Tty and Eei Hui will meet Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, who are currently place at number 18 in Women’s Doubles world rankings.
While talking about the prospects of Malaysian team in the qualifying round, Eei Hui said that they need to play top quality badminton and should win all matches to secure a place in the Finals.
She said, "We are the two most experienced players in the squad so we must win all our matches if Malaysia are to qualify. We have beaten Jwala-Ashwini in all our previous matches but they have been very close.”
However, it will be a crunchy fight between Malaysia and India as both countries have talented shuttlers who can beat any player in the world on a given day.